Maarouf al-Dawalibi | |
|---|---|
معروف الدواليبي | |
 1951 photograph showing Maarouf al-Dawalibi, the Syrian Prime Minister, on the left, next toHashim al-Atassi, the Syrian President. | |
| 21stPrime Minister of Syria | |
| In office 28 November 1951 – 29 November 1951 | |
| President | Hashim al-Atassi |
| Preceded by | Zaki al-Khatib |
| Succeeded by | Fawzi al-Silu |
| In office 22 December 1961 – 28 March 1962 | |
| President | Nazim al-Qudsi |
| Preceded by | Izzat al-Nuss |
| Succeeded by | Bashir al-Azma |
| Speaker of the Parliament of Syria | |
| In office 23 June – 30 September 1951 | |
| Preceded by | Nazim al-Kudsi |
| Succeeded by | Rushdi al-Kikhya |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 1909 |
| Died | 15 January 2004(2004-01-15) (aged 94) |
| Party | People's Party and theMuslim Brotherhood |
| Spouse | Umm Muhammad |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Damascus,Sorbonne University |
Maarouf al-Dawalibi (Arabic:معروف الدواليبي,romanized: Maʿrūf al-Dawālībī; March 1909 – 15 January 2004), was aSyrian politician and was twice theprime minister ofSyria. He was born inAleppo, and held a Ph.D. in Law. He served as a minister of economy between 1949 and 1950, and was electedspeaker of the parliament in 1951. He also served as minister of defense in 1954.[1] After the Ba'ath party came to power in 1963, he was imprisoned and later exiled, serving as an adviser to severalSaudi kings, includingKing Khalid.[2] His son, Nofal al-Dawalibi, is involved in theSyrian Opposition.[3]
Maarouf al-Dawalibi was born inAleppo.[4] He received his early education in Aleppo and graduated from theUniversity of Damascus with aB.A. in Law. He did hisdoctoral studies at theSorbonne University on the Roman Law.[4]
Al-Dawalibi became a professor at the University of Damacus and authoredal-Huqūq al-Rūmāniyah, which was later published by the university. When the university set up Faculty of the Shariah, he was appointed to teach the principles ofFiqh.[4] He authoredMadkhal ilā ʻilm uṣūl al-fiqh, a book that is taught in the seminaries affiliated with theNadwatul Ulama.[4]
Al-Dawalibi was married to Umm Muhammad,[5] a French woman who converted to Islam after marrying him.[6]
Al-Dawalibi emerged as head of government following a cabinet crisis in November 1951;[7] this crisis was precipitated by the resignation of Prime MinisterHassan al-Hakim, which resulted in a power vacuum in Syria.[8][9] PresidentHashim al-Atassi tasked Maarouf al-Dawalibi with forming a new government, and he took office as prime minister on 28 November.[10]
In an effort to oppose military intervention in government, al-Dawalibi retained the defense portfolio for himself, declining to appoint ColonelFawzi Selu to the post.[9] The tradition of appointing Selu as Minister of Defense had been established followingAdib Shishakli'sDecember 1949 coup and had been enforced in subsequent governments.[6] Al-Dawalibi's assumption of the Ministry of Defense was soon challenged by Colonel Selu, who took his complaint to Adib Shishakli.[9] On the same day as the government was formed, a meeting was held between Shishakli, al-Dawalibi and President Hashum Atassi, in which Shishakli demanded the dissolution of the government and the formation of a new one, aligned with the army's interests. Al-Dawalibi and Atassi refused to comply with his demands.[10]
The al-Dawalibi cabinet was short-lived; it lasted only 12 hours after its formation before being overthrown by aShishakli's coup d'état on 29 November.[7] The coup resulted in the arrests of Premier al-Dawalibi and all of his ministers, who were placed inMezzeh prison.[10] After failed attempts to secure his resignation, al-Dawalibi finally submitted it on 1 December. President Hashim al-Atassi then tasked Hamid al-Khouja, an independent politician, with forming a new cabinet. However, growing opposition prevented the cabinet's formation, prompting Atassi to submit his resignation on 2 December to avoid a political impasse.[8][9]
On 3 December, Shishakli delegated the roles of prime minister and president to Fawzi Selu.[9] In fact, Selu acted as a merefigurehead, while Shishakli established hismilitary dictatorship.[8] Al-Dawalibi was released from prison in 1952. He was subsequently subjected to a brief 1953 arrest due to his criticism of the government, after which he left the country and went into exile in Iraq.[11] He returned to Syria after the1954 coup d'état, which led to the overthrow of the Shishakli regime. The presidency was once again occupied by Hashim al-Atassi, who promised to complete his constitutional term.[10] President Atassi resolved to restore the political normality that existed before the 1951 coup, and al-Dawalibi had to resubmit his resignation in accordance with constitutional procedures.[6] Maarouf al-Dawalibi was incorporated as defense minister intoSabri al-Asali's cabinet, which lasted from 1 March to 19 June 1954.[12] In this position, he fought to reduce the army's influence in the government and advocated for a law that prohibited military officers from participating in political parties.[13]
FollowingSyria's secession from itsunion with Egypt in 1961, PresidentNazim al-Qudsi tasked al-Dawalibi to form a government.[6][13] Maarouf al-Dawalibi took office as prime minister on 22 December, with a cabinet comprising 16 ministers.[6] Besides leading the cabinet, al-Dawalibi also held the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs.[14][11]
In January 1962, Maarouf al-Dawalibi offered the mediation of the Syrian government in theIraq–Kuwait dispute [ar], which was sparked by Iraq's claim of sovereignty over the territory following Kuwait's independence in 1961. Iraqi PresidentAbdul-Karim Qasim ignored the offer.[15]
On 28 March 1962, acoup attempt led byAbdul Karim al-Nahlawi culminated in the arrest of Prime Minister Maarouf al-Dawalibi and President Nazim al-Qudsi. A few days later, on 1 April, a counter-coup by loyalist officers freed the two leaders and restored them to their positions, but al-Dawalibi was forced to submit his resignation to avoid further conflict with the military.[6][13]
Al-Dawalibi's political career ended with theBa'athist coup of 1963.[10] The new Syrian authorities, composed of officers withBa'athist andNasserist ideologies, launched a campaign to arrest politicians linked to the anti-Nasser movement in Syria.[13] TheRevolutionary Command Council ordered the arrest of Maarouf al-Dawalibi and Nazim al-Kudsi for the "crime of secession."[6] Al-Dawalibi remained imprisoned until 1964, when he went into exile.[11][16] His first exile destination was Lebanon; after a brief stay in Beirut, he settled permanently inSaudi Arabia.[13][6]
In 1965, he was appointed by KingFaisal of Saudi Arabia to serve as a political advisor in theroyal court. During the subsequent reigns of KingsKhalid andFahd, al-Dawalibi continued his advisory role, retaining the position until his death.[11][13] In the late 1970s, al-Dawalibi was sent to Pakistan at the request of dictatorZia-ul-Haq,[17] to assist theCouncil of Islamic Ideology in drafting new Islamic legislation for the country.[16] He initially wrote the laws in Arabic, which were subsequently translated into Urdu and English by a team of fifteen scholars.[16] One of al-Dawalibi's contributions to Pakistan was the formulation of the 1979Hudud Ordinances.[17]
Maarouf al-Dawalibi died on 15 January 2004 in Riyadh.[11] Since 2004, his remains have been buried inAl-Baqi Cemetery inMedina.[10]
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Syria 28–29 November 1951 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Syria 22 December 1961 – 28 March 1962 | Succeeded by |
| Arab Kingdom of Syria (1920) | .svg) |
|---|---|
| French mandate (1920–1930) | |
| First Syrian Republic (1930–1950) | |
| Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958) | |
| United Arab Republic (1958–1961) | |
| Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963) | .svg) |
| Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024) | |
| Transitional period (2024–2025) | |
* acting | |
| Arab Kingdom of Syria (1920) | |
|---|---|
| French Mandate of Syria (1920–1946)1 |  |
| First andSecond Syrian Republic (1946–1958) | |
| United Arab Republic (1958–1961) | %2c_Flag_of_Syria_(1980%25E2%2580%25932024).svg) |
| Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963) | |
| Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024) | |
| Transitional period (2024–present) | .svg) |
1 The post was established in 1932. | |
